Uragirimono - 裏切り者
by SeaSpectre160
Summary: Gokaiger: Joe has tried to run from his past life for the longest time, but that's easier said than done. Whump. Set anytime between Episodes 23 and 30. Title means 'traitor'. Eventual Joe/Ahim. Not part of United AU.


**Okay, so here's my new Gokaiger fic, Uragirimono! The title means 'traitor'. For anyone who doesn't like torturefics, I suggest you leave this one alone. I, for one, enjoy whump if it's done properly (I know, I sound like some kind of sadist, don't I?), and I don't think I've written one in a while.**

**This fanfic is NOT part of the United AU, but if I do wind up writing another Gokaiger fic in it, Ray and Tim (2 OCs in this fic, one only mentioned) may appear.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger or any of its characters? I am not and have no connections to Toei.**

**WORD COUNT: 11799**

* * *

"Never thought…"

"…idiot…"

"…they both are…"

"For a second … dead."

Random words and fragments were the first thing to reach him, snippets of conversations that he couldn't quite hear. Joe tried vaguely to recall what happened. He was just heading out for a walk, right? But he couldn't understand how he'd gotten to this, hearing nothing but whispering voices and not seeing or feeling anything else.

But just as he thought that, he slowly began to sense the pressure on his back, the soft weight over his front… was he lying down? Obviously; if he was coming out of unconsciousness, he wouldn't be standing up. He was definitely lying on something, Joe decided, something hard yet cushiony at the same time, and whatever was on top of him was most likely a heavy blanket.

The next thing he noticed was the pain. His entire body throbbed with a powerful ache, concentrated on his head, stomach, and left shoulder. His throat was burning, and his mouth felt like it was stuffed with dry cotton. He needed water… so badly.

Joe tried to sit up, but found that he could barely even move his fingers, let alone use his arms to push himself up. Trying to move his left arm only made the pain intensify, and he winced.

A soft gasp reached his ears, and it suddenly occurred to Joe that he was not alone. He tried opening his eyes, but the lids were even heavier than the rest of his body.

Something warm touched his fingers, and he realised that it was a soft, smooth hand gripping his own calloused one. "Joe-san." This voice wasn't a whisper. He could hear the princess's call as clear as a bell. "Joe-san, can you hear me? Please, if you can, squeeze my hand."

But he couldn't. He couldn't will his leadened fingers to move.

"Joe-san!" There was desperation in her voice now. Her other hand touched his face, stroking his forehead. "Joe-san, please! Hear me!" He hated that he was upsetting her. Since they'd taken the delicate princess in, Joe had looked out for her. Not in the same way Luka had, constantly hovering and swooping in to comfort or heal or whatever was necessary, but simply watching as she became more practiced with her weapons, ready to take over should Luka be absent. And it was his fault that she was scared.

Joe was suddenly filled with a rush of anger at himself, and he forced the muscles in his hand to contract, tightening it around Ahim's fingers. He heard her gasp again. "He's awake!" she cried.

Several sets of footsteps approached him all at once, accompanied by a cacophony of voices.

"Is he really?"

"Are you sure?"

"Hey, lemme through!"

"Joe-san!"

"Here, I need to check." That last one was definitely Hakase. "Joe, can you hear me?" Joe tried to answer, but all that came out was a dry cough. "Gai, get a glass of water, please." Running footsteps told Joe that their newest crew member had somehow managed to do so in less than five seconds, or maybe his sense of time was a little distorted.

Shakily taking a breath, Joe slowly wrenched his eyes open. For a second, everything was just a big blur of colour and vague, fuzzy shapes, but the colours sharpened into the relieved faces of his captain and crewmates. Marvelous and Luka had relieved smirks on their faces, Hakase gave him a reassuring smile, and Gai had a huge grin stretching from ear to ear. Ahim stared at him, smiling, her cheeks lined with dried tear tracts, though her eyes were already filling up to create new ones. She was still clutching his hand.

"Sit him up," the usually frazzled technician was surprisingly calm and in control. Of course, his nickname was hardly a misnomer. He did have a lot more medical knowledge than the rest of the crew. Joe supposed it was because he was in his element, or because Joe himself wasn't in any position to be the calm one as usual, and someone had to do it. Marvelous carefully gripped Joe's right side and shoulder, and lifted him into a sitting position. Gai handed Hakase a glass filled with water, and the latter pressed it to Joe's lips. "Here, drink this."

Joe did so, the cool water washing away most of the burning in his throat. Some of the liquid dripped down his chin, to his embarrassment, but Ahim gently wiped it away with a cloth.

They slowly lowered him back onto the couch, for that was what he'd felt underneath him: the hard leather cushions. He should've figured it out sooner; how many times had he passed out after pushing himself so hard in training and woken up there? The coffee table was piled with all sorts of clean bandages and gauze and other supplies Joe couldn't quite recognise. Hakase picked up a small flashlight and pointed it at Joe's eyes. "Just follow the light with your eyes, alright?"

After the resident 'doctor' determined that Joe hadn't suffered a concussion or anything, the first mate was allowed to sit up again. Joe silently took stock of his injuries. His arms, hands, abdomen, chest, and feet were all wrapped and bandaged up, his wrists and ribs bruised. He wasn't wearing a shirt, only a pair of grey sweatpants that didn't quite hide the bruising on his ankles. Gauze was also fastened to the side of his neck, and his left shoulder was heavily bandaged, the arm in a sling.

"What... What the hell happened?" he asked, a bit startled when he couldn't manage more than a harsh whisper.

The others exchanged worried looks. Marvelous leaned forward. "How much do you remember?"

Joe stared at his shoulder, clearly his worst injury. "I was heading out for a walk… Right?" Right. The images were coming back. Happy kids, bright sunshine, a warehouse… Joe stiffened. Familiar faces; Marto, Seth, Tim… The sounds of gunfire, a burning pain in his shoulder, someone taking bullets for him-

* * *

_An unknown amount of time earlier…_

_Joe breathed steadily, in and out, as he went through his daily workout routine. At the moment, it was sit-ups. His line of sight kept switching between the ceiling and the antics of his crewmates. Well, three of them, really. Marvelous was simply lounging in his captain's chair, and Ahim was having her afternoon tea, while Luka chased Gai around the room - shouting something about being a pervert (Joe figured that whatever had happened, it had been completely accidental on Gai's part) - and Hakase attempted to defuse the situation by chasing after Luka and trying to restrain her, which just ended up with her repeatedly elbowing him for his troubles._

_The noise of their shouting – as well as Navi's confused chattering - was intruding on his concentration. Thank God he was almost done. 98… 99… 100. Now that he was finished, he was getting out of here. He got up and made for the door. "Hey, Joe!" Marvelous lazily called out after him, "Where're you goin'?"_

_"__Out. I'll only be gone for short while."_

_"'__Kay. Pick up some food on your way back."_

* * *

_It was one of those sunny, idyllic days where everyone seems all happy and carefree. Joe watched as parents chased their small children and young couples strolled along the boardwalk. It wasn't exactly a scene he fit into, but it felt good to know that at least this one had a chance of surviving. He'd seen so many like it, right before the Zangyack army had marched in and destroyed it all - a Zangyack army that he'd been a part of._

_He shook his head to clear it of those thoughts. He was done with that life, despite how many times his subconscious pushed the memories of it into his dreams. What mattered now was taking down the Empire. He'd been skeptical when Gai had suggested the idea. Taking down an entire empire… they'd just been focused on finding the Greatest Treasure in the Universe, but Joe had to admit - the Silver Pirate's goal, if achieved, would be a pretty sweet treasure._

_Joe was lost in his thoughts as he walked down the path in the local park, until someone roughly bumped into him. "Sorry!" the man in the hoodie gruffly apologised, before hurrying off. Joe didn't really get a good look at his face, but there was something about him that he found familiar. But how could that be? He never really talked to a whole lot of Earthlings, besides the former Sentai warriors, and that definitely wasn't one of the ones he'd met. He moved like a fighter, though. Like a soldier._

_"__Excuse me," another man's voice came casually from behind him, and Joe felt something poke at his back, "I'm looking for a certain traitor by the name of Joe Gibken. Have you seen him anywhere?"_

_Joe's breath caught in his throat. He never thought he'd run into this guy again. "Hello, Marto," he replied quietly, "It's been a while." He looked over his shoulder and saw the smirking face of his old squadmate. "That was Seth just now, wasn't it? And if I had to guess, Tim's on a roof somewhere waiting to put a bullet in me if I try anything. That's how we always did it, right? Seth does the distraction, you close in, Tim keeps watch from above, and I lie in wait just in case he misses. Which you and I both know pretty much never happens. I'm assuming that's why I never got that much action, of course. You felt I was too much of a liability to be given a job on which the assignment objective actually depended, right?"_

_Marto Madds chuckled. "And look at you now. A wanted man with a huge bounty on your head. In a way, I guess we were right - you probably might've let the target go. Of course, we were thinking in terms of skill at the time. You've definitely proven yourself in that area; I'll give you that. Now, unless you want a new hole in your head, I suggest you start walking. And no calling your pirate buddies for backup, either. We'll deal with them later. Right now, __**you**__ are our number-one target."_

_He prodded Joe in the back with whatever small weapon he was carrying, and the two of them started walking out of the park, towards the warehouse district. The guy in the hoodie, Seth Bane, caught up with them, and Joe glared at him._

_These three guys were some of the best the Zangyack Special Forces had to offer. He'd been assigned to their unit as a trainee when he'd first been enlisted, much to their dismay. He could see it in their eyes; they hadn't been pleased when their perfect team had been disrupted by the new kid with the rich daddy (despite the fact that their third member also came from that wealthy family). He'd proven, a few days later, that he at least had some fighting skills, but he was still the rookie. Then he'd gotten transferred into the invasion force, but not before going through several 'snatches', as Marto had called them. Whenever the Zangyack had conquered a planet, the intelligence division kept an eye out for anyone who might try to resist their occupation afterwards. When a suspect was located, Marto's team was one of the small groups assigned to bring them in as quietly as possible. Joe had only had to deal with one panicked man who'd run and somehow managed to keep running even after being shot in the leg by Tim. Other than that, he'd gotten pretty much no field action with them._

_They entered one of the warehouses, which Joe noticed was filled with racks of weapons and had a whole corner lined with computer screens. A small Zangyack ship took up another corner, and there was also a small metal chair beside a table laid out with various blades and other nasty-looking devices. Joe stopped when he realised that he was being led in that direction. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten how Marto and the others liked to use those when a target was rumoured to have important information._

_Seth pushed him along. This man might be the distractor, the one who drew the target's attention for just a second so that Marto could get in close without being noticed, but his true talent was torture. Joe had once seen a tough, intimidating man with a stubborn streak a mile wide break down and spill his entire life's story after just twenty minutes with this guy. "Come on, now," he growled, like a predator that had just cornered its prey. They were getting to his favourite part of the operation. It had been Joe's least favourite, even when he wasn't on the receiving end._

_Joe was stripped of his Mobirates, his jacket, and his weapons and shoved into the chair with his arms and legs strapped down. He tried the old trick Cid-sempai had taught him: inhale and puff up your chest, and hold your arms and legs just a little away from the chair; make yourself as big as possible so that when you relax, you leave a little slack in the bindings. But Marto knew this trick as well. He punched Joe in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him, and followed it up right away with a hit to the left side of his head. By the time he was able to get his breath and focus back, the straps were tightened and secured. He could barely even move, aside from clenching and unclenching his fists and turning his head from side to side. His gaze was drawn to the array of knives, scalpels, Tasers, and butane lighters. There was even a pack of cigarettes; Joe remembered how some guy in one of those old dubbed American mobster movies Gai had shown them used them to burn an uncooperative captive. Seth had done his research on how things were done on Earth, but that was the way he operated. He was always looking for new tricks of torture to test out._

_The door opened, and Tim Gibken walked in, his rifle bag slung over his shoulder, which, to any Earthling, would've just looked like a normal backpack. He was a quiet man, even more so than Joe. He'd barely ever spoken since he'd joined the army, but Joe seemed to always understand exactly what he was 'saying'. Knowing a person for most of your life would do that._

_The sniper gave his captive little brother an odd look - angry, but conflicted - before going over to the computers. The Blue Pirate didn't know what to think; he supposed he'd have had to face this eventually. All three Gibken brothers had been part of the Zangyack army, so of course there was a chance he'd run into one of them. But Tim didn't give any indication that they even knew each other; he just sat down and started typing. Joe caught a glimpse of Marvelous's face appearing on a screen before his view was blocked by Marto._

_"__Never thought we'd have you in The Chair," the leader commented nonchalantly, "Damaras wanted your captain gone first, but we convinced him to let us go after you. We know you better than most of the mercenaries he could've sent… and you know them all better than the rest of your crew. I just had to remind him of that."_

_Joe scowled. "The others will come looking for me," he stated, even though he'd heard that many times from the other targets. Their reinforcements either never came or were simply too late._

_Seth shrugged, picking up a knife. "Doesn't matter. There won't be much left of you to find. You're wanted dead or alive, so as long as we have proof of capture, we don't need to bring you in for execution. We can do whatever we want now that we've got you. Besides, some useful information could bring in a few extra thousand Zagin."_

_Joe eyed the sharp blade as it twirled in Seth's fingers, moving closer to his face. If it was information they wanted, it was information they were never going to get. Better that his crewmates find him as a mutilated corpse than as a rat._

_"__You know the drill, Joe," Marto continued, "I ask you questions, and Seth works his magic on you until you give me answers. Of course, you've seen this done enough times to know that there's an easier way to do this…"_

_Joe spat at him, and received another punch in the face for his efforts. Blood dripped down the side of his face as the metal lining of Marto's favourite gloves tore open a gash in his cheek._

_Marto sighed. "Or I suppose we could just go about it the usual way." He sat down in another chair, feet up on the table. "First thing's first: You guys have been reported to be gaining more powers and tricks since you first came to Earth. How?"_

_Joe kept silent. He couldn't tell them about the Ranger Keys or the Super Sentai. As far as he knew, the Empire didn't really care about a couple hundred heroes who'd lost their powers, but if they learned that they and the Ranger Keys were the source of the Gokaigers' increasing power, that might change. If anything, he had to protect the warriors who'd already sacrificed so much to keep their home planet safe._

_When he still kept his mouth shut five seconds later, Seth brought the knife down on Joe's arm, slowly dragging it closer to a major artery. Joe grit his teeth and waited it out. They weren't going to kill him - not yet, anyway. If there was one thing the army had taught him that he agreed with, it was that pain could dominate you only if you let it. Ignore it, pretend it's not there, and continue the battle. And this was a battle of wills. It was a battle he wasn't going to lose._

* * *

_"__Gghhhhhhaagggghhhhhhhhh!" Joe did his best to keep from crying out, but the sound came up unbidden from his throat and out through his clenched teeth. His fingers clenched the armrests of the chair while cigarette number 7 was slowly being pressed into the side of his neck. It had been at least a few hours now. Three different knives, a lighter, and the Taser had also been used multiple times, but so far, they'd gotten nothing out of him. His arms, face, chest, and feet (they'd torn off his black t-shirt shirt and boots and socks about three minutes in) were all burned, bruised, and bleeding. The leather straps had rubbed his flesh raw where they held him down to the chair as he fought to get out. Tim was still sitting at his computer, giving no indication that he cared about what was happening to his own flesh and blood. And they'd called Joe a traitor._

_Marto sighed. "Come __**on**__," he moaned like he was getting bored, "Give us something, already. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get back to our next assignment."_

_"__And your next pay, right?" Joe spat, "You only ever did anything for the money. You Zangyack scum are all the same."_

_The team leader sat up. "Do I have to remind you that you used to be 'Zangyack scum'? You've killed people before, so why not cut the righteous act? Or are you one of those idiots who believe in the idea of redemption?" He shook his head. "No, if you start caring about what happens to others, you stop caring about what happens to yourself, and that's what gets you killed. Or worse." He glanced pointedly at the torture devices. "I mean, look at what happened to that fool Cid Bamick."_

_Furious, Joe threw himself against his bindings. "Don't you __**dare**__ talk about him like that!" he growled._

_"__Ooh, hit a nerve, didn't I? Bamick was one of the best our army had to offer, but he went and grew a conscience, and planted one in you, too. It's too bad. You had the potential to be a great general, except for those foolish ideas of good and evil. Those things don't exist. The important thing in this universe is looking out for yourself, and if you have to cut down a million so-called 'innocents' to do it, then that's the way it is. That's why you're sitting there, and I'm sitting over here."_

_Joe wanted more than anything else in the universe right now to get up out of that damn chair and throttle Marto. He and Seth were some of the worst examples of Zangyack minions; the ones who understood how cruel the Empire was - and not only liked it, but were just as bad, if not worse._

_Seth went at him with the Taser again, and Joe, caught off-guard this time, couldn't stop himself from screaming in pain. He wasn't sure how long it was held to him; all he was aware of was the excruciating pain._

_He heard a loud bang, like a gunshot, and the pain stopped. Joe blinked the spots out of his eyes and looked towards the door. It was now open, with five familiar figures silhouetted against the blinding light pouring in. "Guys…" he whispered, "You're early."_

_Seth was the first to react, grabbing Joe by the hair and pulling his head back, holding a knife to his throat. Marto stood up, pulling out his gun and pointing directly at Marvelous. "Take one more step," he threatened, "And your friend dies." He moved over to give the others a clear view of Joe, and as his eyes adjusted to the daylight, he could just barely make out their expressions of horror. It didn't help that his vision was slowly going in and out of focus. He was aware of Tim getting up and moving to stand next to them, his own firearm held perfectly steadily._

_"__Let him go," Marvelous demanded. His usual lazy demeanor had been replaced with harsh seriousness. __**Nobody**__ messed with his crew._

_"__How the hell did you find us?" Seth asked smoothly, disregarding the captain's demand._

_Hakase stepped forward a little bit, although he moved back when Seth twitched the hand holding the knife. "We received an anonymous message from this area," the crew's technician replied shakily, "saying that our friend was in trouble." His hands were trembling, the medic in him probably itching to run over and treat his friend's injuries._

_"__Obviously, we came right away," Ahim continued, pointing her GokaiBlaster at Seth with a hand just as steady as Tim's._

_Marto narrowed his eyes. "A message? How…" He was interrupted before he could finish his thought. Tim came up behind him and hit him in the back of the head with the butt of his gun. The team leader cried out - probably more in surprise than in pain - and crumpled to the floor. The sniper then put Seth in his crosshairs._

_"__Drop it," he snarled._

_Seth's knife twitched against Joe's throat, but Ahim and Luka were next to him, guns trained on his head, in a second. The guys were right with them, only they were aiming at Tim._

_Marvelous was the first to speak. "Gai, undo those straps and get Joe back to the ship." The Silver Pirate nodded, his face pale, and set to work, as soon as Seth dropped his knife. The captain then spoke to Tim. "You're the one who sent us that message, aren't you?"_

_Joe turned his pounding head to stare at his brother._

_Tim nodded. "Like I was going to sit and do nothing while they tortured my baby brother." He glanced down at Joe and actually smiled, as if nothing had ever happened between them, though it was brief. But Joe could actually see the emotions in his eyes. Concern and outright fury being the primary ones. The others glanced between the two of them, startled._

_"__You- you are Joe-san's brother?" Ahim asked in shock._

_"__One of two. Ray's at home with our father. He can't fight anymore, not since the explosion."_

_Joe's eyes widened. Ray had been hurt? "What?" he whispered. His voice came out as a hoarse croak._

_"__The engine of the ship he was on spontaneously exploded two months ago. Shortly after the prince's chief scientist paid an unexpected visit, actually."_

_Insarn. That bitch…_

_"__He got out, but he was badly burned and sustained a back injury. He can barely walk now. Our father figures the Empire doesn't trust us after your betrayal. He finds it strange, how easily they can turn on the rest of our family after our many demonstrations of loyalty. Ray and I get it, though - the Zangyack only keep us around as long as we do whatever they say." He slowly lowered his gun and set it on the table, showing his hands. "I'm not here to hurt anyone. I just want to make sure the Zangyack never hurt my family again."_

_Seth snorted. "I __**knew**__ bringing you along was a bad idea. Marto somehow figured you'd be more loyal to us than to this piece of filth here."_

_Ahim moved her gun closer to his head, an anger Joe had never seen before blazing in her eyes. "I think you are in no position to be insulting the friend of the ones holding their guns to your head. You sneak around and take innocent lives without a qualm, and you dare to call Joe-san filth!"_

_Luka stepped forward and put one hand on the princess's shoulder, gently but firmly pulling her back. The lookout glared at Seth. "You really think you can take all five of us? Wow, you're an even bigger idiot than I thought."_

_"__Five?" Joe argued, pushing himself to his feet despite the fact that his legs felt like jelly and the burned and cut-up soles of his feet protested. "I'm not in that bad shape…" A wave of dizziness cut him off, and the world around him blurred and tilted. He felt a pair of hands catch his shoulders before he could hit the floor._

_"__Yeah, right," Marvelous commented. To the undiscerning ear, he sounded almost casual about it, but Joe could hear the shock and worry behind it. Not that the captain would ever admit it in front of the enemy. "Gai, get him to the Galleon. __**Now**__."_

_Joe felt the hands guide him in a certain direction he assumed was towards the doorway. At that point, his knees finally gave out, and he slumped against Gai's shoulder. His vision was going in and out focus, but he fought to stay conscious. There was no way was he going to be carried back to ship like some helpless invalid. If anything, he didn't want to give Seth the satisfaction. He forced his legs to drags his feet along the ground, however slowly. "There _**_are_**_six of us, actually." Joe stopped and turned around at his brother's insistent declaration, despite Gai's attempts to gently pull him the other way. The other pirates were staring at Tim with incredulous and suspicious expressions. "Even if these pirates don't trust me, I _**_will_**_take you down if you try anything, old friend. __**Nobody**__ touches my family and gets away with it." He glared at the other mercenary with ice in his eyes._

_Joe couldn't help the rush of anger. "And what, exactly, were you doing that took you so long to help me just now? You weren't so eager to do something then, were you?" Just talking sent another wave of light-headedness over him._

_Tim gazed back. "It sure as hell wasn't easy, you know. But if I'd tried anything on my own, I would have lost to the two of them, and you would've been killed in the whole mess. Calling your friends in and waiting was the only way to make sure you got out al-"_

_He never got to finish his sentence. Behind him, the mass of black on the floor suddenly stood up, and Marto tackled him from behind. Joe caught a flash of silver right before the squad leader buried the blade in Tim's back._

_Marvelous and the others were stunned for a second, then the captain lunged forward, pulling the sniper out of Marto's grip before dealing a punishing kick into the latter's gut. Marto flew backward, and the other three pirates - Gai was still supporting Joe - were on him, guns trained._

_But a yell reminded them that Seth was still there. He ran at the Blue and Silver Pirates, holding the gun Marto had dropped earlier. Joe was fully aware of Gai trying to put himself in between them; what else would you expect from the idiot who let himself get hit by an eighteen-wheeler protecting a little girl? But Joe wasn't one to be protected._

_Instead, he shoved the Earthling out of the way with what little strength he could muster, watching as three bullets erupted out of Seth's gun in slow motion._

_The first one tore through his left shoulder, ripping through his skin first, then the flesh and muscle, sending a wave of burning agony through his arm and chest when it hit bone. He couldn't even scream; all the air had been ripped out from his lungs._

_The second and third bullets never hit him._

_Another blurry form had somehow gotten in front of him. Joe's vision was too foggy to make out who it was, but he could feel their arms wrapping around him and their body shuddering as the other two bullets made their impact. Joe felt their weight coming down on him, and his legs gave out again, sending them both to the ground. He landed on his back with another burst of pain. The sunlight from overhead glared into his eyes, and he screwed them shut._

_Screams surrounded him, but they were strangely muted. His other senses were in overdrive; he could taste the blood in his mouth and smell it on himself and whoever had taken those other bullets. Every inch of his body racked with excruciating pain, and the unknown person's weight crushed down on his chest, making it that much harder to breathe. Something warm and wet was gathering around his stomach and on the ground under his shoulder. Had he kept his eyes open, he was sure that his vision would be clear once more._

_But even those were fading as the noises grew even fainter._

_Three distant bangs reached his ears before he grew completely numb and the world went silent._

* * *

"What… What the hell happened?" he whispered.

The others exchanged worried looks. Marvelous leaned forward. "How much do you remember?"

Joe stared at his shoulder, clearly his worst injury. "I was heading out for a walk… Right?" Right. The images were coming back. Happy kids, bright sunshine, a warehouse… Joe stiffened. Familiar faces; Marto, Seth, his brother… The sounds of gunfire, a burning pain in his shoulder, someone taking bullets for him-

He gasped as the rest came back. Being captured and tortured, his friends rescuing him, the fight breaking out, Tim…

"Where is he?" he demanded, "Where the hell is my brother?" He was the only one not there, at least out of the people who hadn't been trying to kill him.

Ahim squeezed his hand in both of hers. "Joe-san…"

"Where is he?!"

"He's still in the hospital," Gai replied, "Both of you were far too injured for us to treat; you needed surgery for your shoulder. So I called for an ambulance, and they were able to stop the bleeding." He paused. "You lost a lot of blood, though. They had to perform a transfusion and everything. But they said you were recovered enough for us to bring you back here. It's been two days."

"And Tim?" Joe pressed, "What about him?"

"He was shot twice in the back," Ahim continued gently, "One bullet passed right through and hit you, although that wound was very shallow. And Marto stabbed him and punctured his kidney. They stabilised him eventually, but he hasn't woken up yet. Matsuri-san says he''s in a coma, whereas you were mostly just severely exhausted, and had lost quite a bit of blood. None of your other injuries were life-threatening. We don't know when… or if… he'll come out of it."

Joe shook his head. Why the hell did he do that? Why the hell did Tim willingly get himself shot, just to protect him? His fists clenched, and Ahim, after a moment's hesitation, put her hand on his shoulder. "That idiot…" he whispered, "He took those shots for me. He didn't have to…"

It was the discovery of Barizorg all over again. Marvelous had taken a hit for him then, and now his brother had done the same. Why the hell were people always getting hurt protecting him?

He began to sit up shakily, only to be gently pushed down again. "I need to see him," he insisted, "Whether he's awake or not, I need to see him!"

Ahim squeezed his shoulder. "We can talk to Matsuri-san. I'm sure her colleagues will let you stay with him for as long as you need."

Gai nodded. "Family can visit anytime for as long as necessary," he added, "Anyone else has to stick with the hospital's official visiting hours."

Joe nodded, wincing as his head pounded harder with the movement.

Hakase noticed this right away, and took out a couple of pills from a bottle on the table. "You should get a little more rest, first," he instructed, "These'll help with the pain. We can head back to the hospital in the morning; the doctor said to bring you back in after you woke up anyway."

Joe reluctantly accepted the pills; they seemed to work almost instantaneously. He was vaguely aware of the pink-and-white blur that was Ahim re-adjusting the blanket on top of him before he succumbed to the darkness once more.

* * *

After Joe woke again and was offered a huge breakfast (he barely ate any of it), the others carefully brought him down from the ship (which took some time, as the injuries on his feet made walking difficult), where a car was waiting for them at the edge of the forest below. A smiling brunette was in the driver's seat, dressed in pink. "How about we put him in the back?" she suggested, "I have room for three others, the other two of you guys will have to get there some other way or just stay behind."

Ahim and Hakase joined Joe in the back, while Luka sat up front with the woman. "This is Tatsumi Matsuri, by the way," Ahim introduced her, "I'm not sure if you actually met her, Joe-san, but she was the one who gave us the GoGo V Grand Power."

Matsuri glanced back. "GoPink, at your service," she greeted him with a kind smile and a salute, "You gave your friends quite a scare, you know. I was the EMT in the ambulance with you all the way to the hospital; they wouldn't trust anyone else to look after you."

Joe nodded mutely. His mind was more focused on thoughts of his brothers. Ray and Tim were seven and six years older than him, respectively, and had definitely been closer to each other than to him. He hadn't counted on them coming to his defence when he'd betrayed the Zangyack, yet both of them had gotten themselves in danger because of him. Ray was pretty much crippled, and Tim was in a coma. All to protect him. His hands tightened on the seats. Why the hell did this keep happening?

Ahim must have sensed his unrest, because she took his hand again and squeezed it. Joe managed a small twitch of his lips that could've been a smile, for her. She blushed and turned her gaze to the window and the scenery moving past. As Joe looked closer, he saw that she was paler than usual, with dark circles under her eyes. She looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep lately. Had she been kept up because of him?

Joe wasn't going to deny that he had a soft spot for the princess. At first glance, you could never guess that she was a pirate. You'd only think her a delicate flower, too innocent, weak, and naïve to survive the harsh realities of the universe. But underneath that frilly exterior was a strong will of steel, and a desire to protect her loved ones and inspire what was left of her people. She was so much stronger than she appeared at first glance, and he liked that about her. That she wasn't exactly bad-looking, either, was appealing, too.

It was only the jolting of the car that alerted Joe to the fact that they'd stopped in a large parking lot beside an even larger white building. Matsuri led the rest of the through the front door to a reception area, where Marvelous and Gai had somehow managed to arrive before them. The whole place smelled of chemicals and disinfectant. There were people sitting in chairs along the side, some sporting a few minor injuries that didn't seem to take priority compared to the man being led down a hallway, his head sporting a nasty wound on the back while a woman - probably his wife - ranted on about unsafe ladders and not knowing when to ask for help.

Matsuri spoke with the receptionist before leading the four down another hall, up an elevator, and around a few corners until they came to a door. She stopped just outside, only peeking her head in and speaking to someone inside. "Hey, his younger brother's here. Can you give them a moment?"

A pair of nurses stepped out, nodding sympathetically to Joe as they passed. Matsuri stepped aside to let Joe move in, but he stopped dead as soon as he saw his brother's condition.

Tim was lying in a hospital bed, propped up on his side so as not to put too much pressure on the wounds to his back. His skin was chalk pale, just a couple shades darker than the bandages wrapped around his body. Half a dozen tubes were fixed into his arms, and a breathing mask was fitted over his nose and mouth. The only sound in the room was the heart monitor's slow beeping, and that alone was disturbing enough. Tim was a quiet man, but now his silence was weighing down on Joe, rooting his feet to the spot.

Ahim nudged him from behind, and that touch was enough to propel him forward. Joe walked over and stood by the bed, unsure of what to do. Up close, he looked even worse, so broken and beaten. He shakily took a seat in a chair next to the bed, and grasped Tim's hand with both of his. Joe was vaguely aware of the others closing the door to give them some privacy.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," he said, as if his brother could hear him, "I don't need to be protected. Look what happens when you do. The same thing happened to Marvelous and Cid-Sempai, and now you. When the hell is this going to stop?" His shoulders were shaking uncontrollably. He kept the tears back. Joe Gibken did _not_ cry. "You guys have to stop trying to help me, I can take care of myself. I'm not the helpless child I was when Kaa-san died."

He'd been only three when the Zangyack had come to his planet, and his mother had been killed in the invasion. The boys had been hiding on her request, and Ray, while forcing the younger two to look away, had peeked out and watched her die protecting him. Their father didn't understand. He saw the Zangyack as a wonderful opportunity for his family, believing that his beloved wife had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, a victim of circumstance, not cold-blooded killers. Joe had listened to him, being too young to fully grasp the horrors of war, although Joe now had a feeling that Ray had never really bought it. Maybe it was watching their mother die in front of him that'd influenced that.

Joe wasn't sure how long he stayed there, fighting tears until they just finally gave up somehow. It wasn't until the door slid open again and Ahim poked her head in that he moved at all. "Um… Joe-san, we have to take you to see one of the doctors. He just wants to run a few tests to make sure you're okay."

He didn't want to, but he forced himself to his feet and followed her and Matsuri down the hall, only half-listening to what the EMT was saying. The doctor she introduced him to - Joe wasn't quite paying attention to his name - was a balding, middle-aged man with a gruff sort of attitude, but he was gentle as he peeled the first layer of bandages off of Joe's right arm. Two sets of burn marks where the Taser had hit him and five different long, deep, scabbed-over cuts were revealed underneath.

A thought suddenly occurred to him. "What happened to them?" he asked the doctor, who'd already shooed everyone else out.

"Hmm?" the man was more focused on whatever he was writing on his clipboard.

"Marto and Seth. The guys who did this. What happened to them?"

"I think I'd better answer that." A new voice came from the doorway, and Joe looked up to see a man about his height with brown hair and a black-and-blue uniform that reminded him of that police chick who'd tried to arrest Marvelous months ago. The doctor looked like he was about to kick him out as well, but the man held up his hands. "I won't get in your way, Doctor. I just need to ask him a few things."

"Who're you?" Joe asked bluntly.

The man pulled out an SPD badge. "Tomasu Hōji, but you can just call me Hoji. I was assigned to this case."

"Thought you SPD guys were staying away from anything Zangyack related."

Tomasu shrugged. "It's SPD policy to stay out of any activity authorised by any government, even if it is an evil conquering empire…" His only slightly sardonic tone gave away his dislike for that fact, but other than that, he remained completely professional. "…But those guys had some outstanding warrants for a few unauthorised jobs, which means they're fair game for us. Boss insisted I be the one to investigate since a fellow Blue was involved." He gave Joe a searching look. "We heard you had a history with those three."

Joe nodded. "I was assigned to their unit when I first joined the military. Left soon after, but I got to know them pretty well. Seth and Marto are the biggest pair of sadists I've ever seen, but Tim… he just didn't know what he was getting himself into." He wasn't about to say anything that might get his brother in trouble, not after Tim had gotten himself shot protecting him, although he had to wonder if there was anything he could do.

"He's your brother, right?" Tomasu looked at him sharply. "But you _do_ realise that the warrant also includes his arrest?" Neither of those questions was really a question.

"I'm not surprised." He shrugged, regretting it when the pain in his left shoulder flared up. The doctor made a disapproving noise.

"But your friends said he played an active role in helping take down the other two, so that'll count in his favour. As for your earlier question, Marto Madds is now in SPD custody. Your captain looked like he was about to kill him, but we just barely managed to convince him that rotting alone in a cell for the rest of his life would be punishment enough. As for the other guy…"

Joe narrowed his eyes. "What?"

Tomasu sighed, looking very serious. "After he shot you and you brother, Seth Bane tried to kill your friend Ikari Gai, and he probably would've moved on to finishing you off. But the princess girl, Ahim, shot him in your defence. Three times."

Joe recalled hearing the loud bangs before he'd passed out. So that was what those were. If Seth had been shot three times, then… "He's dead, isn't he?" Tomasu only nodded, and a worrisome thought crossed Joe's mind. "What'll happen to her?"

"Nothing," Tomasu insisted, "The surveillance system they set up around the warehouse caught the whole thing on tape, and it's already been agreed that since she was acting to defend others from an immediate lethal threat, no charges will be placed against her."

"Thank God," Joe murmured, letting out a deep breath he only just realised he'd been holding. He didn't even want to think what would happen if Ahim were to get in trouble for taking down that sadistic freak. Sure, they already had huge bounties on their heads, but this was different. Mainly, it was simply because it was Ahim. She was honestly the perfect image of purity and goodness. To have that kind of accusation against her…

"As for your brother," Tomasu continued, "He'll still need to serve time for his past actions, but his hand in Marto Madds's capture will decrease his sentence dramatically. That is, if…"

"If he ever wakes up," Joe finished.

* * *

Two more days passed since the trip to the hospital. Joe-san spent most of his time in his cabin, either sleeping or just staring at the ceiling. Ahim and Hakase-san visited him the most often, usually just to change his bandages twice a day as per the doctor's instruction, and to bring his meals. Matsuri-san had promised to contact them if there was any change in Tim's condition, but so far, she had nothing to report.

Ahim couldn't help but be disturbed by the change in Joe-san's behaviour. He was the one who usually pushed himself to his limit and well past it, regardless of any injuries. She knew he'd been trained to ignore pain and keep going, to complete the mission objective, even on pain of death. Seeing him so… well, it was hard to describe it. He barely spoke, simply nodding or shaking his head for 'yes' and 'no' and unintelligible grunts or just plain silence for everything else. He didn't want to do anything else that involved leaving his bed besides using the bathroom and showering - since those were pretty much the only things he couldn't do in his cabin. He ate maybe half of what they gave him, and as a result, he grew wearier and paler, sleeping more often but still showing no sign that it was helping. He always had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes and was noticeably losing weight.

It certainly didn't help his injuries heal at all. He had two dozen deep cuts on his arms and chest, five sets of electrical burns, six second-degree burns on his hands and face, bruises and smaller cuts all over, two bullet wounds (the first having ripped completely through his shoulder, the second only just penetrating his abdomen without doing any serious damage, as it had lost most of its momentum passing through his brother's body) and she didn't want to even _think_ about the seven circular burns on his neck oriented in the shape of an 'S'. As far as anyone was aware, he didn't know about the brand Seth had left on him, and none of them were quite sure of how to go about telling him.

Joe-san seemed to have lost all the fight in him, and that was what scared Ahim the most. The first mate, for all his apparent indifference for this planet, was the last person on the crew to give up. The incident with Action Commander Zodomas proved that. Ahim just couldn't understand how his will to keep going could've been robbed from him.

Finally, she decided that enough was enough. Joe-san wasn't much of a talker, but she had to know what was causing his unnatural bout of depression, and how she could possibly bring him out of it. So, when lunchtime rolled around on the third day, Ahim took it upon herself to deliver the food to Joe-san, alone. He was staring at the ceiling, as usual, not even looking up as she entered and set the food on his nightstand. Ahim hesitated, her heart breaking from seeing him like this.

"I made sure to add extra cheese to your sandwich, Joe-san," she said, "I know you especially like it like that." Tentatively, she sat down on the edge of his bed and laid her hand on top of his. "Joe-san, it's been six days. Please, we need you talk to us. You have barely spoken or eaten, you do nothing besides lie here, and we are all worried for you." Tears were starting to form in her eyes. "_I_ am worried for you. Seeing you like this… it scares me. Please, talk to me. I want to help you, as your friend, but I cannot do that if you do not tell me what is bothering you!" Ahim pulled his hand towards herself, noticing that he'd tensed up. "I know you prefer to deal with your problems on your own, but that doesn't mean that asking for help makes you weak. We all trust you to help us when we need it, and now you need someone to help you. All you have to do is let us."

He said nothing, slowly turning his head away from her to face the wall instead.

Tears welled up in her eyes. "So… That is all, then? You do not trust us?" She stood, dropping his hand. "I see." Ahim had to get out of there; she couldn't break down in front of him.

She bumped into Luka-san on the way up, ignoring her queries of what was wrong as she raced up to the crow's nest. Once the hatch was firmly shut behind her, she let her tears out with a sob, dropping to her knees. The cold air bit her face; though the sun was shining brightly, the GokaiGalleon was flying high above the clouds, where the winds were generally much stronger without buildings and irregularities in the landmass to disrupt their flow.

He didn't trust her.

He was fading away on them, and wouldn't let them help.

He didn't trust her.

He couldn't open up to them, because of course he had to be the strong one.

He didn't trust her… not enough to let her in.

* * *

"You're being an idiot, you know that?"

Joe didn't even turn away from the wall.

"It's destroying her to see you like this, and you're too wrapped up in yourself to see it," Luka continued harshly, "She just wants to help you! If this shutting-us-out thing is your idea of being strong and handling whatever it is you're going through on your own, I've got a newsflash for you. You don't always have to do shit alone, and now you have Ahim believing you don't trust her! And how the hell is just lying there doing nothing dealing with your problems?! Well?"

He remained silent, but he was listening.

As Luka turned to leave, she paused at the door. "Being strong doesn't always mean taking care of your problems all by yourself. Sometimes it's about trusting others to catch you when you fall, to support you when you can't do it yourself. You guys taught me that much."

Then she was gone, his cabin door shutting with a firm click.

* * *

It was in the crow's nest that he'd found her. The fact that he hadn't bumped into any other members of the crew during the entire long, painful trip from his cabin to there led him to suspect that Luka had foreseen his decision and had made sure the guys were distracted. He'd have to thank her for that later.

She was sitting with her back to the post in the middle, her arms wrapped around her legs, face buried in her knees. Her body was shaking with sobs.

Joe cursed himself. Once again, he'd made her cry.

Ahim looked up as he came out. "Joe-san!" She hurriedly wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "What are you doing up here?"

He wasn't entirely sure what to say. So instead he sat down next to her, his legs grateful for the rest. He couldn't look at her just yet; he knew that one glance would cause the words he needed to say to get lost in his throat.

"It's not that I don't trust you," he began, knowing that Luka had said that was upsetting the princess, "I'm supposed to be the strong one here. In the Zangack forces, any emotion is a weakness, and you can't afford to be weak in such an environment. It will only serve to interfere with the mission, and after all, that's the most important thing when you're only one of their foot-soldiers. In my own experience, it gets other people hurt, people who care about you, because if you're too weak to take care of yourself, they tend to do stupid things to protect you. Cid-sempai, Marvelous, and now Tim… Three people I've looked up to and relied on, all got hurt because of me. Marvelous was lucky, but I don't know if I'll ever get the other two back, and it's my fault, because I was weak. When I was being tortured, I didn't care if I died so long as all the secrets they wanted to know died with me, because I wasn't going to be weak and give in and betray you all. It's not like I was perfectly fine with dying, but it was better than the alternative. The only thing that was worrying me was how my death would have impacted you all, that in the end no matter what I did, I would still have hurt you."

The words just flowed out of him once he forced himself through the first sentence. Like a dam had broken, everything that had plagued his thoughts and haunted his dreams, not just in the past week, but essentially ever since he was enlisted in the Zangyack Special Forces, rushed from his mouth. Instantly, the guilt welled up over dumping it all on her like that. He knew she was strong, but she didn't need to shoulder his burdens along with her own heavy ones.

Had he been in a more stable state of mind, he wouldn't have been surprised when she drew nearer him and carefully embraced him, taking mind of his shoulder. She was still sniffling, but she wore a sad smile. "Thank you for telling me."

He must have been more tired than he thought, because he let his head rest on her shoulder as the unwanted tears burst forward. She didn't say anything, just held him as he let them flow silently, soaking the fabric of her dress.

Because the truth was that he did trust her. She was the only one that he knew wouldn't judge him for showing the cracks in his armour, who wouldn't say anything and just be there, and, when something had to be said, always knew exactly what he needed to hear.

He'd been _stupid_ for holding out on her this long.

* * *

It was Luka who'd found them some time later, curled up together in the crow's nest. Both were asleep, the week's distressing events having caught up to them. She knew Ahim had stayed up at night, worried about the deteriorating condition of their crewmate.

A quick trip down to Joe's cabin, and she returned with the dark blue blanket from his bed. As she carefully placed it over them, she noticed the remains of dried tears on both their faces, but immediately decided to keep that to herself. It relieved her to know that Joe had let down the walls he kept up, if only for a short while.

Because the whole crew knew he had fears, that he was just as vulnerable and broken as the rest of them. They never said anything about the times they'd woken up to hear him yelling in his sleep, knowing he would just retreat further into that cold exterior if he knew that they knew. They knew that he believed that he had to be the strong one in order to feel some sort of control over himself, and that it had been ingrained in him to hide his pain and bottle it all inside. No wonder there were so many lunatics in the Zangyack's forces - keeping one's issues contained like that with no release would drive a person insane. So of course Luka was relieved that Joe had managed to let it out.

Footsteps behind her alerted her to the other guys' presence. Luka shushed them before they had a chance to say anything. "Don't wake them up!" she hissed.

Gai, who clearly hadn't noticed the sleeping pair yet, was confused. "Eh?" He peered around her and caught a glimpse of them. "Oh…"

Marvelous took a look for himself and smirked. He muttered something under his breath, which Luka could've sworn sounded something like "Finally", but she couldn't be sure.

Hakase nodded and gestured for them all to come back down. When they did, he told them all in a low voice, "Tatsumi Matsuri just called me from the hospital. She said Joe-san's brother is showing signs of waking up." A sigh of relief came from everyone present. "Should we wake Joe-san and head over there?" The slight frown on his face suggested that he didn't particularly want to.

The captain considered it, but shook his head. "Wait until the two of them wake up on their own," he decided, "They both need this."

Luka couldn't agree more, and from their expressions, so did the other two. Then Gai got a mischievous, gleeful look on his face and crept back up to the crow's nest. Luka followed, suspicious, but grinned when she saw him whip out his GokaiCellular and snap a picture. She'd have to get him to have a copy of that printed off (as great as the Mobirates were, they didn't have a camera function).

* * *

Joe slowly opened his eyes, totally confused as to where he was. It took him a moment to recognise the crow's nest, and a couple more to remember how he'd gotten there in the first place. A tickling sensation on his cheek alerted him to the soft black curls his head was resting on, and he looked up to see Ahim's peacefully slumbering face.

He felt a tiny smile forming, seeing her relaxed and at peace for what had to be the first time in a week. He didn't even want to move; he just wished he could stay like this forev-

A creaking noise drew his attention to the other side. Hakase had been trying to sneak off without him noticing, and he almost succeeded, if it weren't for that squeaky board right in front of the stairs. The crew's technician winced when he realised he'd been caught, and put his hands together in an apologetic gesture before continuing downstairs. Joe frowned as he scurried off. Had he been watching them? It was a testament to how tired he was that he hadn't noticed right away.

Sighing, Joe tried to shift as best he could without waking Ahim, but that didn't work out as his sore and stiff muscles groaned in protest, eliciting a gasp of pain. He watched as her eyes slowly fluttered open, and she glanced around blearily before looking down at him. Instantly, a deep blush graced her cheeks. "Uh, Joe-san!" she gasped. A hint of a smile appeared on her face, like she was just a little bit pleased by waking up next to him.

"Good morning," he replied, glancing up at the sky, "Or good afternoon, I'm not sure." Because he had no reference as to which way was east, the sun's position was of little use for telling time. It was either late morning or an hour or two after midday.

She carefully stood up, wincing as she did so. Sleeping while leaning against a wall does not do any good for one's back. "Perhaps we should go inside," she suggested, frowning in confusion for some reason, "How did that get up here?"

Joe realised that they'd both been sleeping under the blue blanket from his bed. "One of the others must have done it. Hakase was up here just a second ago."

She blushed again when she realised that they had been watched. Slowly, the two of them got to their feet. Joe's wounds protested a bit, but he felt strong enough to make it back downstairs.

They were a bit stunned to see the rest of the crew waiting for them. Marvelous had a big shit-eating grin on his face. Hakase was the first to speak. "We got a call from the hospital. Tim is probably going to wake up soon."

Joe stared at him for a second, afraid for a second that he was hearing things.

* * *

Joe held his breath as he walked back into Tim's room. His brother was still pale and motionless, but most of the tubes were gone, and the doctor attending to him smiled reassuringly. The swordsman again took the chair by the bed, watching the rise and fall of Tim's chest. Ahim sat down next to him, holding the hand he wasn't using to clutch his brother's. Hakase began quietly discussing something with the doctor, and the others took up positions by the door, watching over them.

He didn't know how long they sat there like that. The sun eventually set, and Marvelous crashed in another chair with his feet up, snoring. Luka rolled her eyes and began entertaining herself by challenging Gai to a thumb war, which somehow managed to last for ten whole minutes.

Just as Gai let out a disappointed groan while Luka cheered in victory, Joe felt his brother's hand contract. "Tim," he whispered. In an instant, all their focus was back on them, and they all gathered by the bed, Luka shoving Marvelous's feet from their position on the windowsill to wake him up. The captain snorted and protested rather loudly before remembering where he was and falling silent.

Joe stared intently at his brother's face as his eyelids began to flicker. "Tim?" he called softly, "Come on, please wake up." Eventually Tim's eyes drifted open, and he blinked a couple times before focusing on him. Joe let out a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding.

"Hey."

"H-" Tim's reply was cut off as he coughed. The doctor came into the room at that point, gently pushing his way through the crowd of pirates to come to the other side of the bed.

"Try not to talk," he advised, "One of the bullets clipped your lung." He began checking Tim's vitals, then wrote a few things on his clipboard. "Now, do you remember what happened?" Tim slowly nodded, looking over at Joe and squeezing his hand tighter in an unspoken question.

"I'm mostly fine," Joe assured him, "Better than I would be if it wasn't for you." He shook his head. "Just don't ever scare me like that again."

Tim gave him a look, one that said 'You idiot, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.'

Joe huffed. "I still can't believe you did that." His brother's gaze then flickered over to the other pirates, clearly confused about their presence. "Hey, you take a couple bullets for one of us, the others usually want to make sure you're okay."

The rest of the Gokaigers seemed a little baffled by the seemingly one-sided exchange, but didn't say anything. Ahim smiled at Tim. "We are thankful for what you did for Joe-san. Truly."

"Yeah, we kind of need him," Luka added, "Someone has to keep Marvelous's wilder impulses in line."

"Oi!" Marvelous grumped.

Joe rolled his eyes. "Name one instance where I've actually succeeded with that," he deadpanned. The contemplative/awkward silence that followed proved his point.

Tim weakly squeezed his hand again, his eyes pointed at the bandages and gauze on Joe's neck. They both knew what it meant. Seth had marked him, marked him with the brand that let everyone know that this was his work. At least it would be the last time he would ever leave that mark, and that Joe was alive to tell the tale (not that he was willing to actually tell it anytime soon).

"I know, I know. I can live with it."

His brother gave him a sad look filled with apology and guilt. He blamed himself for letting it happen at all. Then his eyes started to drift shut. He was exhausted already, just from these few minutes of wakefulness.

Joe sighed, watching his brother fall back to sleep. Ahim squeezed his hand, rubbing her thumb in comforting circles over the back. "He's going to be all right," she said to him softly.

The Blue Pirate squeezed back. "I know," he whispered in reply, "I should have remembered that it takes a lot more to keep a Gibken down."

* * *

A couple weeks later, Joe's recovery was coming along nicely. As soon as he was deemed fit to be moved, Tim was moved to the hospital of an SPD prison, where Joe was assured that he'd be allowed to visit. He was willing to give information about the squad's past actions and other Zangyack teams' independent work in exchange for early release.

Hakase had somehow managed to find the contact information for Ray, but Joe didn't use it just yet. The eldest brother was still living with their father, whom Joe wasn't certain he could trust.

Marto was sent to a different prison, one with much higher security. For his crimes, he would be given a life sentence and spend the rest of his days behind bars.

A couple nights after Tim's transfer found Joe and Ahim up in the crow's nest again. They'd barely been apart in the past few weeks, since his earlier confession to her. "Did I ever say thank you?" he asked out of the blue.

She turned to him, startled. "For what?"

"For saving my life. It's been weeks, but I don't think I've actually thanked you for that. It can't have been easy for you."

The Pink Pirate looked down. "I didn't even think about it," she admitted, "I just saw you on the ground… I thought you were dead. And that… that monster was standing there, and I didn't think. I just shot him." She shuddered. "I did throw up afterwards, though, when I saw his body."

He put his hand on hers, where it rested on the railing. "I did the same, the first time I killed someone as a Zangyack soldier. No matter who they were or what they did, taking a life is immensely difficult."

Ahim looked up at him, still shaking a bit. He reached up and cupped the side of her face with his hand. "You're worth it," she insisted, "Don't ever forget that. Marvelous-san, Cid Bamick, and your brother all know it, that your life is worth protecting. The only one who seems to forget it is you." Her eyes misted over, and before he knew it, she'd grabbed his right shoulder and pulled herself up high enough to kiss him on the lips.

Joe was taken aback by her sudden forwardness, and it seemed that the princess had actually caught herself off-guard. "Ahim…"

She blushed and looked down. "I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me."

The Blue Pirate gently gripped her chin and tilted her face back up towards his. "Don't be sorry." And he leaned down to capture their second kiss, which she returned gratefully.

THE END

* * *

**Well, that took me about 3 freakin' YEARS to write, but I hope it shows. I absolutely adore Joe/Ahim. The hospital scene near the end is what had me stuck for the longest time, and I'm sorry if the last one was kind of awkward.**


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